1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to building assemblies and, in particular, to building an assembly in multiple stages. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for precisely positioning parts relative to each other using metrology data and features of the parts during an assembly process.
2. Background
Some types of assemblies are currently being built manually. As one example, some currently available spar assemblies for aircraft are built manually by human operators. However, building a spar assembly manually may be more time-consuming than desired. Further, this type of manual assembly process may be more complex than desired. Still further, manually building spar assemblies may not provide the level of quality and consistency desired for spar assemblies.
Consequently, it may be desirable to automate portions of the assembly process using robotic systems. However, using robotic systems in a factory setting may be more difficult than desired. Currently available methods and systems for using robotic systems to perform certain types of assembly operations may not provide the type of mobility and flexibility within the factory that is desired.
Additionally, some currently available methods for positioning parts relative to each other for attachment using robotic systems may not provide the desired level of accuracy with respect to the positioning of these parts. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method and apparatus that take into account at least some of the issues discussed above, as well as other possible issues.